Not Just the Light
by JooseBoxx
Summary: Puck has this habit of just pushing himself, even when he maybe shouldn't. Angst meme prompt. Gen.


**Disclaimer: **Not mine. No money. No affiliation.

He knows that it's a bad idea, but fuck. He's just got too much to do right then. It's nothing anyway; just a little sleep deprivation and he'll catch up on that later.

Ohio summers are the worst sometimes though, and he hates those days where the heat is just so dry you don't want to leave the shower in the morning. But it's cool, he'll just soldier through as always and deal with it later -lying on the kitchen floor with a packet of peas on his head and Sarah with the carrots is an untraditional method of sibling bonding, sure, but it works.

Beiste is pushing them hard, even in the heat. It's drills and suicides and blocks and sprints all through practice, even while she's yelling at them to stay hydrated and Puck's just running the drills without thought because he just needs to keep going. His muscles burn and his throat's dry and his head aches, but fuck, they've got this big ass game coming up and like hell he's not going to be in top condition.

Glee is just as bad as football. Schue and Sylvester are doing this thing again, this thing where they yell at each other and try to one up each other and if it wasn't sort of gross, Puck would tell them to fuck and get it over with. Schue's doing this thing where he's had a personality transplant, or at least someone broke into his house and updated his music collection or something, because they're actually doing something up to date for this ridiculous show-off with Sylvester (which is going to suck because she's like super evil or something and it's not gonna happen and besides, he'd rather watch the Cheerio's than the Glee club). Whatever it is that happened he got Mike and Britt to choreograph their whole routine.

It is insane.

They can do it, well, most of them can -Finn keeps falling over his feet and Mike tries to show him a trick to make it easier, and Mercedes is complaining about -of all things- her boobs getting in the way and Puck has a million and three things to say but he doesn't because his headache is just getting seriously worse and now his chest hurts a little but seriously, it's probably just the lights in the auditorium or something.

They run through the routine what has to be the ninth time in the last hour and Puck's starting to notice these blurry spots around his vision, so the strobe lighting has to be like too bright or whatever. Schue wants them to do one part again, because Sam fumbled a little with Santana and Puck was a little bit behind Mercedes on one of the exchanges so they start up the music again to go for it and Puck's a little worried about the fact that his vision is totally just blacking around the edges.

He shakes it off though, ignoring the look from Mercedes and they go through it again and he totally works around her boobs so that they don't bug her or whatever (seriously, why do chicks get all confusing about their boobs all the time?) and Schue's mostly happy and Puck thinks that _finally_, he'll head around to the cafeteria and get like a bottle of water or something.

Except he does his stupid 'from the top' and Puck's ready to throw his shoe at the man (cause it's the only thing he can reach/spare just now) but they start again -even Tinkles is getting sick of this. He gets about halfway through and the headache feels like a spike to the back of his skull, three more steps and there spots in his vision again this time closing in and then his legs just totally give out and Puck's gone with it.

The last thing he remembers thinking is that he's pretty grateful for Mercy's boobs, great cushioning right there.

#

He wakes up sometime later, horizontal and blessedly cool and there's no music or strobe lights or football drills. There is Mr Schue, in the corner, biting his nails. "What the-" he barely remembers not to curse in front of the teacher before groaning at the ache in his skull. "Ow, my head."

"Noah, stay put." Like he was getting up. Schue bails out and Puck's left wondering what happened after he felt that spike in the back of his skull before a worried Schue bolts back in and a doctor -presumably from the coat and the badge and the chart- walks in at a slightly more sedate pace.

"Mr Puckerman, how're you feeling?" Why do they ask those questions? He's in a hospital, how the fuck do they think he's feeling?

"Like I got body slammed and rail-roaded by an eleven ton rhino with an axe to grind." Honestly, he feels like shit, but the cool along his side and neck, that feels pretty good, and he's not standing, so he's cool with that. He's mostly just sore and tired and has a headache to pound nails with.

"That's what heat exhaustion and dehydration will do to a body." Oh, so it wasn't just like, the lights or whatever. The doctor flips his chart over and stares at Puck like he's an unruly three year old. "You should take better care of yourself; heat exhaustion is no laughing matter. The possibility of cutting off oxygen to the brain is a serious side effect of pushing too hard and the consequences could be life threatening." Puck feels suitably chastised, but it's not like it hasn't happened before, because Puck just muddles through this shit.

Sometimes, he can't sleep, or sometimes shit just needs done and he doesn't have time for it. He screwed up majorly with his mother by getting sent to juvie _and_ wrecking her car, so he's trying to make up for that. It means sometimes he has to do more and sleep less and he honestly just thought this was another of those days where he was just tired. He didn't think about exhaustion -heat or otherwise, and really, he drank the same he usually did -although it was slightly hotter and he was doing slightly more but whatever. Lesson learned and all that shit.

"You don't need to call my Ma about this, do you?"

"You're a minor, Puck, and you passed out at school. Your mother has already been informed." Holy shit he was dead. The doctor gave Mr Schue a nod before heading out and Puck pushed himself to sit in the bed, sighing. "Puck, I'm sorry."

"Say what?" Why is Mr Schue apologising?

"I was pushing too hard and I didn't think, I'm sorry I put you in this position." Okay, from chastised like a three year old to uncomfortable like getting a sex talk -and those are _way _uncomfortable. "Next time you feel dizzy, or your vision gets blurry, tell me?" Puck just nods, because he doesn't really intend on ending up in the hospital again because of this. "The others are outside, you up for some visitors?"

"What? They're here?" Really, he didn't expect that -he possibly should've. Schue just nods, going to the door to nod them in. Mercedes is the first one in and she actually hugs him.

"Boy, don't you do that again." She's all serious and a little mothering, but there's this concern and Puck just nods.

"If I say thanks for cushioning my head, will you take offence?" She laughs, kisses his cheek and pats him on the head like a puppy; he doesn't think she's offended.

"Dude, that was just," Finn has no words as usual, and Puck feels a little stupid lying in the bed while they all crowd into the room.

"How many clowns fit in this mini?" Santana, as always, doesn't bother with polite society or general rules -her dad is like three steps away from running this joint, who the hell is going to say shit to her?- and she just climbs right up on his bed and lies herself out beside him.

"Shut up Puckerman and enjoy the attention." Puck just shakes his head but he's perfectly happy to wrap an arm around Santana's shoulders and let everyone think what they want -Brittany assumes it's a group hug with two people and kneels up on the bed beside his other side while Rachel gives his foot a quick squeeze.

"We're glad you're okay. You gave us all a scare." It's moderately humbling that they all showed up -because he used to torment the hell out of half of these kids, but he passes out and they hang around a lame ass hospital to see that he's okay? Yeah, it's a bit of a big deal.

"Noah Abraham Puckerman," _shit_, she middle named, he's dead.

"You're great, I sort of like you all, please attend my funeral." His Ma stands at the door, Sarah just behind her and the little sadist is loving this because she's got that totally smug look on her face that _he_ taught her and they both know Ma's gonna make this _hurt_.

"Why don't we give Noah some time alone with his family?" Schue heads out the door with a nod to Puck and he gets fist bumps from the guys and an awkward attempt at a man hug from Finn while he still has Santana and Britt next to him. The girls all give him little kisses on his cheek -even Tina who he hardly talks to, and Britt gives him a massive hug while San kisses his lips in the most chaste thing she's ever given him and winks before leaving.

"What am I going to do with you boy?"

"So long as it involves ice cream, I don't care right now, Mama." She softens, and he's got a smirk on his face while Sarah rolls her eyes and climbs up to take Britt's place on his bed. His mother is a sucker when he breaks out the 'Mama' or 'Momma'. Sarah does it twice as much as he does, so it's way more effective for him.

"Sit tight, bubbala, I'll go see when we can take you home. We can stop off for some on the way." Sarah high fives him as his Ma leaves the room.

So yeah, heat exhaustion sucks, but at least he gets something out of it.


End file.
